Combined air, land, and water craft



A ril 6, 1925'.

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR:

A. J. HARPSTRITE COMBINED AIR, LAND, AND WATER CRAFT Filed Janl 27', 1925 fi dsflls Ila BY Y I ATTORNEY April 6, 1926.

A. J. HARPSTRITE COMBINED AIR, LAND AND WATER CRAFT Filed Jan. 27, 1925 s Sh'egts-Sheet 2 INVENTOR I #42 5271? 4 A TT ORNE Y April 5 9 A. J. HARPSTRITE COMBINED AIR, LAND, AND WA'ILER CRAFT 3 Sheets Sheet 5 F iled Jan. 27, 1925' I; Y R! E mm m "Mam M laterited Apr. 6, l926. I p v UNITED STATES aueusrus .1. mnrsrmn, or Los Antennas, cum-om, ASSIGNOB or one-mm PATENT-overca- TO IBEDEBIGK A. HABPSTBITE, 0]? LOS ANGELES, CALHOBNIA.

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Application and n w-yer, m5. Serial m. 5,127.

To on whom it .co mem:

Be it known that I, AUoUs'rUs J .HA'nrs resident'of Los Angeles, county of Los 'Angeles, State of California, have] mveuted new and useful Improvements in Combined Air, Land, and Water Craft, ofwhich the following is a specification- This invention relatesto vehicles and es-' bow slide for adjusting the top plane; its .actuating pinion'being in plan, Figure 8 p'ecially to 'heavier-than-air flying craft.

The invention an improvement in the i type of plane which is shown in my application Serial Number 749,495, filed November 12, 1924; and which discloses a land, we-v ter and air boat having, a generally longitudinally extending, arched top plane tiltable on a transverse axis to vary upwardly and downwardly its angle-oi incidence. The invention shownin the aforementioned-application included a a propeller associated with the, boat and nOn-adjustably mounted inthebowthereoi' It is one of the objects of my present invention to provide-for an adjustment of the angle of the propellershaft so that it may be tilted up to aid in a more rapid upward .hop of the craft from the V ound or water. An object is toprovide indgpendent means for adjusting the angle ofthe air-propeller shaft and the adjustment of the angle of the main, top lifting plane.

An ob ect is to provide a substantial bow or head structure, and a compact arrange- .ment' of propeller and plane adjusting mechanisms therein.

'Another object is to provide an adjustable drag or brake device whereby to control the forward or descending speed of flight, and to provide a reliable and disappearing drag device to be safely stored and 7 always ready for instant adjustment for use.

Other objects and advantages .will be made manifest in the following specification of apparatus'of the invention shown in the accompanying drawing; it being understood that modifications, variations and adaptations may be resorted to within the spirit of the invention and its scope as here claimed.

Figure'l is a side elevation of the craft, with parts broken away, and showing the top plane and the propeller both in upwardly tilted, quick get-away position. F1gm-e2' is a cross-section of-the top plane, and showing -a depression therein for an elevating propeller in retracted position. Figure 3 a citizen of the United States, and

is a front end elevation of the tractor prothe traction propeller, its mounting and the bow parts. Figure 7 is across section of the is anelevation showing a checking barrier. Figure 9 is a sectional view ofthe extended barrier, Figure 10 is a detail of the roller. The craft comprises a water-going boat body 2 having a top deck 3 with a front pilot transoml4 below which is the pilots seat 5. For land travel either in hopping ofi or level journeying, where there may be smooth going, ground wheels 6 'are provided. For propulsion when awash, a .water propeller 7 is provided astern and is adapted to be driven through clutch 8, by a motor M. To sustain the craft in air flight a transversely arched, longitudinally arranged fly ing plane 10 is disposedabove and along the boat and is tiltably attached thereto on a transverse axle or trunnion 11, intermediate the length of the plane and at its lower edges. v r

V The top of the plane is'recessed at 12 to form a pocket for a retractive, elevating propeller 13 having an extendable or telescopic shaft 14, geared and selectively clutched to the motor shaft by means 15. Hand gear 16 enables the raising and lowering of the propeller 13 at will.

Suitably mounted in the plane 10 is a radi 'der vane 17 sweeping sidewise under a cross brace 18 Fig. 8.' Tiller lines 19 connect to the rudder and lead in suitable manner to the pilot cab.

Means are provided in the arch of the plane capable of being set or exposed transversely across the'plane tunnel to form an air anchor acting to retard headlong flight,

and which means includes substantial barlea lines 22 leading to the cab and serving to ull the curtains to the ceiling of the plane. ince great pressure would be thrown against the curtains when they'are drawn for use I provide a system of stays or rods 23 in. parallel rows fixed in the cross-brace and plane skeleton. The curtains unroll between the rows of rods and will press against and be sustained by either row. The curtain has its edge of an outline to conform to the ceiling contour so that the curtain will efiec tually bar draft in the tunnel and so check speed of flight and descent.

Another improved feature of my craft comprises the mounting of a tractor propeller 25 in the bow of the boatbodyinsuch amanner that the axis of the propeller can be tilted up and down to vary the line of pulling effort and so enable a quick upward jump and advance flight all by the .one

propeller. This is shown as secured on a shaft 26 connected at its rear end by'a universal joint 27 to the motor shaft S, Fig. 6. The shaft 26 is mounted in a housing 28 having a yoke 29 trunnioned on boxes 30 .on center with the joint 27. An antifriction bearing 31 journals the shaft 26 close to the 'oint. 1 a V 1 The forward end of the shaft 26 has end thrust bearings 32 and roller bearings 33 disposed in an enlarged case 34 on the housing 28 and the case has lateral trunnions 35.

These trunnions are designed to have any necessary oscillation in an arcuate slide 36, Fig. 5, which is vertically movable in. sub.- stantial guides 37.

Because of the strains and stresses developed I prefer that the slide and guides be intergibbed or railed as shown in Fig. 6. The guides 37 are spaced in opposition to flank the slide and allow the desired degree of movement of the slide, and have spaced, strengthening side cheeks 38 solidly connected at the top and bottom to a bow post 39 of the boat. The cheeks form an intermediate space for the tiltable housing 28, and for a spindle 40 carrying at its front end a pinion 40 engaging a rack 41 in the slide 36. The spindle 40 is in any suitable manner connected to and operated by a hand wheel 42 in the pilots cab, thus enabling the slide to be run up or down and, therefore, tilt the propeller shaft 26 on its joint 27, While the propeller is driven or-idle. To cover the slot between the guides 37, a shield V 43 may extend up from the slide 36.

For adjusting the top plane 10 to change its angle an arcuate slide 45 is adjusted along fixed guides 46 which may form a part of or be attached to the bow post 39 which is shown in Figs. 67 as slotted up and down to receive the shaft housing 28, the spindle 40, and also a hand-wheel shaft 47 which carries pinion 48. This pinion meshes with a rack 49 in the slide 45 for raising and the universal joint 27 as a center.

The slide 45 has a top cross-arm' 50secured at its ends to the plane skeleton and also has a lower short arm 51 connected by guy lines 52 to the plane 10. The rear edges of the cheeks 38 and face of the guides 45 are spaced to form a runway 53 for the arms 50-51.

The slide 45 is slotted, as shown in Fig. 6, to receive the housing 28 and spindle 40 whose outer end is hung in a bearing 54. The; shaft 47 is hung in a bearing 55 in the F rom the above it will be seen that ,the plane can be adjusted to any 'desired'angle of incidence and that the propeller 25 can be adjusted to different pulling and lifting angles. i

What is claimed is:

1. An aerial craft including a body provided at its nose with a curved guide-way, a curved slide operating along the guideway and having a bearing, a tractor propeller shaft extending through the guideway and the bearing in the slide, and a propeller mounted on said shaft and disposed close to the bearing; whereby to eliminate whipping action of the forward end of the said shaft.

2. An air craft having a boat body, a main flying plane tiltable thereon, a bow propeller under the plane, slides mounted in the bow and operative to severally change the'angles of the plane and propeller.

3. An air craft having a boat with a power plant, a main tiltable flying plane, a bow propeller and a tiltable shaft therefor, an elevating propeller above the plane, means for selectively driving the propellers and including a power plant, and means for tilting the said shaft.

4. An air craft having a boat with a power plant, a main tiltable flying plane, a bow propeller and a tiltable shaft therefor, an elevating propeller, above the plane, means for selectively driving the propellers and including a power plant, and independent means for tilting the said shaft, and for tilting the plane.

5. An air craft having a boat body, a top plane transversely pivotedon the body and a slide vertically movable on the boat body and connected to the plane, a tiltable propeller shaft, having universal joint, and a second slide curved on the joint center and carrying the outer end of theshaft, and means for operating the slides independently.

6. An air craft having a boat body, a top flying plane having a transverse axis on the body, a slide vertically movable in the boat bow and connected to the plane to tilt it, a slide in front of the plane slide, 2. prono r 7. An air craft having a boat body, a

top flying plane having a transverse axis on 1 the body, a slide vertically movable in the boat bow and connected to the plane to tilt it, a slide in front of .the plane slide, a propeller shaft mounted on the second slide and extending back through the plane slide, and means for shifting the slide to change the angles of the shaft and the plane independently of each other. I p

8. An air craft having a body, a flying plane on the body, a propeller and its shaft,

and means for tilting the shaft to change the pulling angle of the propeller, said means including a vertically adjustable slide in which is an oscillating bearing for the shaft.

9. An air craft including a boat body having a flying plane, a bow structure having a vertical slot, guide-ways along the slot, a slide movable along the slot and guideways, and operative to tilt the plane, a second slide'in the front of the bow and mounting a shaft having a propeller, said shaft extending back through the inner slide, and separate operating means for the slides.

AUGUSTUS-J. HARPSTRITE. 

